Your Gentle Smile
by uchihaotakuhime
Summary: Free!xNaruto Crossover. MakoHina. "It was no surprise, really, considering that they were basically the same person in two different bodies. They were sweet, shy, loved all and were loved by all. It was only a matter of time before they found each other."
1. Chapter 1

**MakoHina**

"Don't leave me, Ino-chan!" Hinata begged, scrambling to reach for the blonde's arm before she got lost in the sea of people.

"Oh, come on, Hinata!" Ino nudged her away with her hip, giving her a wink. "You hardly ever get chance to see him. It's only once in awhile that Konoha gets to compete with Iwatobi! Go over there and congratulate Tachibana-san!"

"T-that's the point!" Hinata whispered worriedly. Her small fingers tangled with her friends as her eyebrows met at the middle of her forehead. "It's been so long—I'm n-nervous." She bit her lip. "I don't know what to say."

The two had come along with the rest of the Rookie 12 to cheer on the Konoha swim team. Swimming was obviously not one of the villlage's strong points, but the drive and talent in each of the team members allowed them to hold their own against other schools. Naruto dominated the breastroke, Kiba found his skill in the backstroke, Lee, in the butterfly, and Sasuke, of course, only swam freestyle. They were the main competitors, while Neji, being proficient in all styles, was the backup swimmer for all positions. Shikamaru, as the team manager, somehow succeeded in enrolling them in tournaments outside of the Land of Fire.

It was because of Shikamaru's success that provided Konoha's close relationship with Iwatobi, due to chance encounters after Kiba had lost one of his matches. Hinata had raced down the bleachers to congratulate her teammate for taking second place. She knew he would be a little disappointed for not being first, but he knew he would appreciate her words and support. It was almost impossible getting through the mass of muscular, chiseled bodies to reach him.

"K-kiba-kun!" she tried, being increasingly engulfed in the crowd and watching the familiar red tattoo marks get further away. The three winners were standing on their platform still, posing for their pictures and Hinata was desperately trying not to use her chakra to make her way to the front. "Kiba-kun!"

And that was when she felt a strong, wide hand grip her wrist and pull her. She was about to Juuken him in the face when her gaze was met with wet, tousled brown hair, warm, sparkling green eyes, and the sweetest smile she had ever seen. "Are you trying to get through?"

"H-hai," she had barely audible stuttered, frozen in her tracks at this tall, handsome boy with the medal around his neck. _He must have won first place,_ Hinata thought as she allowed herself to be pulled to the winner's platform where this boy let her go.

Kiba had then caught sight of her and grinned widely. "Thanks, Tachibana," he said to the boy who had pulled her through. "Also, good job again and congratulations on first place." Kiba reached out to shake his hand.

"Arigatou," this Tachibana said with a shy laugh. "You did good, too, Inuzuka."

"Hopefully we get to race again, eh?" Kiba replied as Hinata silently watched.

"Aa," Tachibana agreed as he was pulled away from his shorter, blonde teammate. "Ja ne."

That would have been all, if they weren't meant to meet again, just a few minutes later. They had been standing in the bleachers side by side, somehow separated from the rest of their schools. But it was too late to try to push through the crowd, since the freestyle match was starting.

"Ganbatte—" they had cheered simultaneously with all their might.

"Haru!"

"Sasuke!"

They had stopped in mid sentence and turned to each other in surprise.

"Gomen-" Hinata started, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Makoto shook his head and smiled. "You're the one from… Konoha was it?"

"Mm," Hinata nodded, gripping her "Ganbatte, Konoha!" sign tightly. "Y-You're cheering for your teammate f-from Iwatobi?"

"Hai, in lane 7, Haru…" Makoto pointed.

"In lane 6, Sasuke…" Hinata lifted her chin towards the pool.

"He's my childhood friend," they blurted at the same time again.

Makoto and Hinata laughed nervously.

"Um—I'm Tachibana Makoto," he said shyly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hyuuga Hinata," she replied, equally shyly. "It's nice to meet you, too, Tachibana-san."

Haru and Sasuke interestingly were intrigued by each other's skills when they came in tied for first place after the match. They had been staring blankly at each other when their childhood friends approached them with hugs and congratulations. Makoto and Hinata had then introduced the two and then they were surrounded by members of their school. It wasn't too long before both schools found that they had a lot in common. Naruto and Nagisa argued about which foods were better fuel for races—ramen or sweets—but wasted no time in devouring both and competing to see who could do so the most and the fastest. Their personalities were eerily similar and Nagisa almost had Naruto calling Sasuke "Sasu-chan" before Sasuke warned the whiskered boy that he would rip off his tongue before he even tried. Lee and Rei went on loudly about aesthetics and beauty and youth and became instant friends when they found that they agreed on almost everything considering the three topics above. And while the managers of both teams found no interest in each other, Gou was drawn to Shikamaru's blonde-haired female teammate and the rest of the girls from Konoha, gushing about how rare it was to find girls who were interested in swimming at all. But who was Haru without Rin? And likewise, what was Iwatobi without Samezuka? So it was that Konoha became acquainted with Samezuka, and, of course, Gou wasted no time in introducing her beloved onii-chan and his team, unknowingly forming triangular rivalries between the swim teams in the process. Though they saw each other rarely, the three schools had already formed strong bonds and it wasn't long before it was known that their beloved Makoto and Hinata had felt drawn to each other. It was no surprise, really, considering that they were basically the same person in two different bodies. They were sweet, shy, loved all and were loved by all. It was only a matter of time before they found each other.

"Go on, Hinata." Ino nodded in the direction where their boys were gathered after the match. "It'll be fine. We'll all meet up at dinner later anyway. Plus, Gou promised to introduce me personally to that Sousuke from Samezuka!" She gave Hinata on last thumbs up before giggling and running off to lace her arm through their red-haired friend from Iwatobi.

Soft, green eyes met white from across the auditorium as she walked shyly towards the small circle where the Iwatobi, Konoha, and Samezuka teams stood chattering. "Hyuuga-sa—a-ano—Hinata-san! You came." Makoto grinned happily. His eyes were twinkled, and although his voice was soft, there was no mistaking his eagerness to see the indigo-haired beauty in front of him.

Hinata blushed and cast her gaze to the floor, trying not to stare at his perfect muscles. "Good work today, Makoto-kun." She clutched the edge of her sleeve.

Makoto towered over the small girl, and from far away, it looked like he was some kind of shelter. She barely came to his chiseled chest.

"I'm happy to see you again," he said in a husky whisper. Hinata would have missed it if he hadn't been standing so close. She looked up at him in surprise. Makoto's messy hair hid the front of his eyes and he was averting his gaze, but she could see red tinging at his cheeks.

Hinata reached out to touch his arm, and then it was his turn to look at her in surprise. "I-I'm happy to see you, too," she smiled softly.

"Makoto."

They jumped apart quickly and turned their heads to where their champion swimmers were standing and observing them. Haru and Sasuke looked like they could have passed for brothers, with their dark locks and brooding, dark eyes.

"Haru?"

"We'll meet you later," Haru said simply.

Sasuke poked Hinata in the forehead. "Don't be late." Then he turned to Makoto, "And you. Don't do anything suspicious," he warned.

"I wouldn't d-do anything like that, Sasuke-san!" Makoto stammered. He covered his face with one hand and allowed the towel on his head to hide the rest of his embarrassed expression.

Sasuke strode past the two where Rin was waiting and motioned for Haru to follow him. "Haruka," he called. "Ikuzo."

Haru met Hinata's eyes and gave her a small nod. "Take care of him." He turned slowly and quickened his pace just a bit to catch up to Rin and Sasuke.

The gentle giant and the small heiress blushed a deep red. Hinata glanced up shyly at Makoto from underneath her lashes, but when she saw that he was smiling tenderly at her she raised her head to him more confidently.

"H-hai!" Hinata promised. "Ja ne, Haru-kun, Sasuke."

They were left in silence watching the three figures get smaller and smaller in the distance, with the gym was emptying slowly, until they had no choice but to become hyperaware of each other's presence. They shifted uncomfortably for a few moments.

"W-well," Makoto started, ruffling his hair nervously with one hand.

"A-ano…"

"Do you like sweets?" they stammered at the same time once more.

They looked at each other with their similar wide eyes and pink cheeks and held each other's stares for a few more seconds before laughing and releasing the tension that had filled the air and constricted their lungs.

Makoto reached out his hand and smiled his perfect smile again, causing Hinata's breath to catch in her throat. "Let's go, Hina-chan."


	2. Chapter 2

**Post Free!Eternal Summer Ep. 11 MakoHina**

Tears prickled at the corners of white eyes as Hinata's slim fingers clenched around her boyfriend's tousled brown hair. The sounds of his quiet sobs made her heart hurt, and yet, there was nothing she could do for the hurt in Makoto's heart. Her unbelievably unselfish boyfriend was coming undone in her arms, worried so much for his childhood friend.

She had received a call from him the night before. It was surprising, really, because they usually just messaged each other. There was something urgent in his tone of voice, an emotion that had made her ears perk up. It was different than the smile she usually could hear in his voice. After asking if she had any missions and finding she had none, he had asked, "Hina—do you think you can come visit me? I-I need someone to talk to."

She had come right away. He never asked anything of her, and when she sensed something was wrong, she knew he needed her. Hinata hadn't so much walked through the door to his room after seeing the pain in Makoto's eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Makoto-kun?" when he had taken her in his embrace and buried his face in her hair. "M-Makoto-kun?"

"It's Haru. I-I fought with him."

All she could do was listen.

He had told her about his childhood friend pushing him away more and more. She knew how he felt. After all, she had felt the same way when her own childhood friend left the village and the hurt she had felt went Sasuke left abruptly without so much as a goodbye. Wasn't she good enough? Didn't she mean as much to him as he did to her?

She could tell that Makoto was struggling with the same thoughts. Haru wasn't listening to him. Makoto was worried about his future and he was trying to get Haru to figure it out, too. Wasn't he good enough. Didn't he mean as much to Haru as Haru did to him? But the darker-haired boy wasn't listening.

"I know what Haru can do! I know his potential! I want so much for him—doesn't he understand that?" he asked said through tears, his large arms encircling around her tiny waist. Hinata could only grasp at the back of his shirt, running her fingers lightly through his hair soothingly. "I've found my dream and I want Haru to find his. I want to stand next to him in the future reaching our dreams together! I don't want him to be lost. It hurts to see Haru like that." He whispered heartbreakingly into her neck. "It hurts, Hina."

* * *

Hinata slipped quietly out of Makoto's room after Makoto had cried all the tears he could, leaving him to sleep in his room.

"Hina-nee-chan," a worried voice whispered. "Is Onii-chan okay?"

Hinata turned to see Makoto's younger twin siblings staring up at her with wide, anxious eyes. Her furrowed brow relaxed to see the two in front of his door. She bent down to their height, her hands on her knees. They must have felt as helpless as she did when they saw their hero, their idol, and their strength fall apart.

"Nn," she assured them softly. "He's just sleeping. He'll be okay. Do you want to go get some sweet bread with me to surprise him when he wakes up? Maybe it'll help cheer him up."

Ren and Ran nodded eagerly and took one of Hinata's hand each. "We'll help choose!"

Hinata's gentle hands squeezed the smaller one in hers and let herself be pulled toward the door.

* * *

Hinata held a box of warm, freshly baked sweet breads close to her chest, watching the twins run ahead and play together with a warm expression on her face. She inhaled deeply as she walked passed the ocean, taking in its salty scent and relishing the breeze as it lifted the strands of her indigo hair. Hinata turned her face towards the horizon and smiled absently. She loved coming to visit Makoto in his own hometown and the relaxation and peace it always brought her. There was something about the setting sun reflecting on the ocean's surface that hypnotized her almost as much as than the green in Makoto's eyes.

As her byakugan eyes gazed longingly at the shore, a dark head of blue caught her attention.

"Haru-kun?"

He was sitting on the sand, staring unseeingly towards the same sun she had been looking at with a blank look on his face. His legs were spread wide and his arms were resting loosely on his lap, devoid of energy and emotion. The love that engulfed his entire being when he looked toward a body of water was absent and so, so unlike him.

Checking to see if the twins were okay with her byakugan, she padded softly over to where he sat on the sand.

Her hand reached out hesitantly towards him and she stammered, "H-Haru-kun?"

He didn't turn in her direction but she didn't miss the way his fingers clenched briefly at the sand. "You're here."

It was because it was something so much like what Sasuke would say, that she heard everything he was trying to say with those few words. "_Of course you're here." "Thank for taking care of Makoto when I made him feel like shit." "I don't know what to do." _

She sat down beside him, spreading her pale lavender dress around her, placing her arms behind her and leaning back to stare at the darkening sky. She had not said much to Haru ever since the beginning of her relationship with Makoto, so she wasn't even sure if he would open up to her, but she did know that he would not talk at all until he was ready. As with Sasuke, she had found a comforting, quiet companionship with her boyfriend's best friend.

"Makoto's leaving." Haru said tonelessly. His eyes had not moved from the point where the sky met the water in the distance.

"Yes," Hinata whispered. She could only imagine how much more it hurt Haru if Makoto was in so much distress about their future. She waited patiently for Haru's words, which came a few long moments later.

"He tells me to find a dream." His voice was barely audible at first but its volume grew as his spoke. "What dream? What future? What good is any of that if I don't have anyone with me? No Rei? No Nagisa? No Rin?" He clenched his fists and Hinata could see his dark, blue eyes swimming with tears. "N-No Makoto?" His lower lip trembled. "I thought—I thought Makoto would be the only who wouldn't change. He wouldn't leave me. When everything was changing and so confusing—I thought he'd always be there for me."

Suddenly his fist crashed into the sand. Hinata jumped at the sand that flew on her as Haru continued angrily, "And that's why I said, I don't want any of that! I'm fine with the way things are!" He wrapped his arms around knees and buried his face in it. "I don't want any of that if I can't have everyone like they are with me now. I don't want a dream. I don't care about a future. I just want them—now. I want Makoto to stay how he is with me _now_."

And now Hinata listened to Haru's quiet sobs as he let out his frustration and worries. How long had he been holding this inside of him? How Haru was so like Sasuke! A stoic boy who kept his emotions inside him, coming apart only when his heart couldn't bear it anymore-a boy who hid the fact that he did care, that he did need love, that he was lost and frightened.

Haru's head lifted from off his arms and the same, blank look graced his face again. "And if Makoto's so ready to leave and h-have his future….does it mean he doesn't care if I'm not in it?"

"Oh, Haru-kun." Once again, tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as another boy came apart before her. She got up from her position on the ground to kneel in front of him. She put a hand to his face and said, "Makoto-kun loves you, you know? You are probably the most important person to him and you always have been. He's worried about you and your future. There is nothing more that he wants in his future than to have you in it, moving along and moving forward with everyone else." Haru's eyes widened as she spoke and one last, single tear spilled down his cheek.

Hinata brushed it away with her thumb and gave him a small smile. "You can be free as much as you want, Haru-kun, in whatever you decide to do. Just remember that you will never be alone."

She removed her hand slowly and let it drop back to her side. "Don't forget about Makoto-kun, ne? He's worried the most about you." She got up slowly and brushed the sand off her dress as Haru sat mulling over her words. Hinata picked up the box and started walking towards the direction of Makoto's home. "Come and visit when you can again, Haru-kun. He'll be waiting," she called over her shoulder.

And as Hinata made her way back, she crossed her fingers and hoped that her words would somehow find their way into Haru's heart like it did to Sasuke. And she wished with all her heart that her boyfriend's best friend would find his way to peace, happiness, and a future here with Makoto—just like her own best friend did back in beloved Konoha.


End file.
